Board Effectiveness and Director Duties

Board Effectiveness and Director Duties is a five-day senior board-level course delivered by Mars Training Centre at international venues — London, Dubai, Paris, Vienna and Cape Town — designed for board directors, chairs of board committees and company secretaries who shape how their boards work.

A board is only as effective as its weakest agenda item, its quietest director and its least-prepared paper. The modern board faces strategy in volatile markets, risk that moves at the speed of news, regulatory expectation that grows year on year, and stakeholder pressure that extends far beyond the shareholder. Director duties — once a topic for company law training — are now a live concern of every individual sitting at the board table.

This programme is built for directors who want to sharpen their own contribution, for chairs who want to lift the effectiveness of their boards, and for company secretaries who want to elevate the board papers and processes that shape every decision. It is delivered at international venues — London, Dubai, Paris, Vienna and Cape Town — by senior British practitioners drawn from the Mars panel.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this programme, you will be able to:

• Apply the principles of the UK Corporate Governance Code to board practice.
• Evaluate director duties under UK company law and equivalent international regimes.
• Diagnose the effectiveness of a board against recognised benchmarks.
• Design board agendas, papers and minutes that support real decision-making.
• Lead and contribute to board committees with confidence.
• Manage conflicts of interest, related-party transactions and confidentiality.
• Conduct or commission a board evaluation.
• Strengthen your personal contribution as a director.

How You Will Benefit

You will leave with a clearer understanding of your duties as a director and the practical skills to contribute more effectively at the board table, along with a Mars Certificate of Completion.

Your organisation will gain a director or senior board adviser who can lift the quality of board discussion, strengthen oversight, and reduce the governance risks that erode value and reputation.

Who This Programme Is For

This programme is designed for current and aspiring board directors, including:

• Executive directors of listed, private and family-owned companies
• Non-executive directors and senior independent directors
• Chairs of boards and chairs of board committees
• Company secretaries and assistant company secretaries
• General counsel and senior legal advisers to boards
• Senior public-sector and not-for-profit board members
• Family-business principals and next-generation directors
• Senior executives preparing for first board appointments

The seniority floor is director level and above, including senior managers preparing for board appointment. Delivery combines facilitator-led sessions, regional case studies, validated diagnostic tools and continuous personal feedback from the lead faculty.